


Missed

by Dain



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, Queer!Jem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 23:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1876530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dain/pseuds/Dain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short little sibling moment; Jem comes out to her brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Missed

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this thinking that it was in the same continuity as By Your Side, but since Jem never names her past girlfriend you're welcome to interpret it otherwise. I might write something later about Jem telling Kieren about Lisa, but since Camp NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow it probably won't be for some time!

“All right, out with it. Who’re you mooning over now?”

“What?” Jem nearly jumped out of her skin, her brother’s words dragging her out of her reverie.

“Oh, come on, you’ve been acting all dreamy and lovesick for days.” Kieren dug his elbow into her side a little. “So who is it? If you’re going to make us suffer through your pining you might as well give us some details.”

Jem glared back at him, swatting his arm away and pretending she didn’t know their mother was hanging on every word. “You’re imagining things, Kier. Just because _you’re_ parading your boyfriend around…”

Kieren rolled his eyes. “Oh, well, if that's how you're going to be...” He left it alone after that, though, and Jem steadfastly avoided him for the rest of the day.

***

Later that evening, after dinner, Jem knocked on Kieren’s open door.

He smiled when he saw her. “You okay?”

“I’m okay.” She smiled back, hesitantly. “I wanted to talk to you about something. My, uh, my therapist thought I should, and now seemed like a good opportunity…”

“All right.” He moved over to make room for her on the bed.

Jem sat down next to him, fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable. Kieren let them sit in silence for a bit, waiting for Jem to find the words or the courage or whatever it was she was looking for. “You were right,” she said at last. “Earlier today.”

It took Kieren a moment to realize what she meant. A grin stretched across his face. “I _knew_ it!”

Jem managed a smile. “Yeah. Um.” She took a breath. “Her name’s Miriam.”

“Oh.” Kieren couldn’t keep the note of surprise out of his voice. “Sorry, sorry, I just – I didn’t know.”

“I kind of…had a girlfriend. While you were – during the Rising, I mean.”

“You never said.”

“It was kind of quiet,” Jem replied. It sounded like a confession.

Kieren was suddenly struck by how much of his little sister’s life he’d missed. She’d only been fourteen when he’d died. And now…well. You do a lot of growing up between fourteen and eighteen. He’d missed so many smiles, so many tears… He should’ve been there for her, he reflected. She’d have needed someone there to talk to. He could’ve given her the support she needed, the support he never had…but he’d ruined that chance, and it was a simple miracle that he was here to hear it now.

“Well,” he said finally, smiling at her, “I’m glad you told me.”

"Yeah." Her answering smile was large this time, and genuine. "I am too."


End file.
